THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. (Applause.) We're honored
you're here. (Applause.) Thank you all. (Applause.) Thank you for
coming. Thank you for being here. Thanks for taking time out of your
Sunday morning to come by and say hello. Laura and I are honored you're
here. (Applause.) I'm here to ask for your help. You need to get your
friends and neighbors to go to the polls. You're voting today, you're
voting on Tuesday. Tell your friends and neighbors, in a free society
we have an obligation to vote. Tell them, if they want a safer America,
a stronger America, and a better America por todos, to vote for me and
Dick Cheney. (Applause.) Con su apoyo vamos a ganar. (Applause.)

The most important reason -- perhaps the most important reason to put
me back in is so that Laura will be the First Lady for four more
years. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Laura! Laura! Laura!

THE PRESIDENT: Que bella. Que magnifica. (Applause.)

I want to thank my Vice President, who's working hard. He does not
have the waviest hair in this race. I don't want to offend some of you
out there who are follically challenged -- you'll be happy to hear I
didn't pick him because of his hairdo. (Laughter.) I picked him because
of his experience; I picked him because of his judgment. He's getting
the job done. (Applause.)

I want to thank my hermanito. What a great Governor he is.
(Applause.) He loves Miami, and he loves the people of Miami.
(Applause.) And I want to thank First Lady Colomba Bush for being such
a gracious First Lady for Florida. (Applause.)

It's really important that when you get in that booth and get your
friends to go to the booth to remember there's an important Senate race
here in Florida. (Applause.) I'm going to say it as strongly as I can,
Mel Martinez is the right man for Florida. (Applause.) And we love
Kitty Martinez, as well. She's a classy lady.

I want to thank the three Congressmen from this part of the world that
are here, starting with the Congresswoman from this district, Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen. (Applause.) Mi amiga. (Applause.) Y tambien, los
hermanos, Diaz-Balart. (Applause.) Lincoln y Mario. (Applause.) Thank
you all for your steadfast and strong support. I appreciate Tom
Gallagher being here. I want to thank Marco Rubio, who's here with us
today. (Applause.)

Listen, there are a lot of Democrats supporting my candidacy.
(Applause.) There may be some here. You know the Democrat Party left
you, you didn't leave it. And I want to thank Miami Beach Mayor David
Dermer, Democrats for Bush. (Applause.) Mr. Mayor, we are proud you're
here. (Applause.) Thank you, sir.

I want to thank all the other state and local officials. I know that
there are some members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins football team here.
(Applause.) Thank you all for coming. You guys haven't aged a bit.
(Laughter.) Thanks for setting such a great example.

I want to thank the grassroots activists. I want to thank you all for
putting up the signs. I want to thank you for making the phone calls.
No doubt in my mind, we'll carry Florida again and win a great victory
on Tuesday. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT: This election -- this election -- this election takes
place in a time of great consequence. The person who sits in the Oval
Office for the next four years will set the course of the war on terror
and the direction of our economy. America will need strong, determined,
optimistic leadership. I am ready for the work ahead. (Applause.)

My four years as your President has confirmed some lessons, and
they've taught me some new ones. I've learned to expect the unexpected
because horror can arrive suddenly on a quiet morning. I've learned
first hand how hard it is to send young men and women into battle, even
if the cause is right. I'm grateful to the lessons I've learned from
our parents: respect for every person, do your best, live every day to
its fullest. I've been strengthened by my faith and humbled by its
reminder -- (applause) -- and I've been humbled by its reminder that
every life is part of a larger story. (Applause.)

The President must lead with clarity and purpose. As Presidents from
Lincoln to Roosevelt, to Reagan so clearly demonstrated, a President
must not shift in the wind. A President has to make the tough decisions
and stand by them. (Applause.) The role of the President is not to
follow the latest polls. The role of the President is to lead based
upon principle and conviction and conscience, and that is how I will
continue to lead this nation. (Applause.)

During the last four years, I've learned that whatever your strengths
are, you're going to need them. And whatever your shortcomings, the
people will notice them. (Laughter.) Sometimes, I am a little too
blunt. I get that from my mother. (Laughter.) Sometimes I mangle the
English language. (Laughter.) I get that from my dad. (Laughter.) But
all the time, whether you agree with me or not, you know where I stand
and what I believe. (Applause.)

And you can't say that about my opponent.

AUDIENCE: Boo!

THE PRESIDENT: It is fair to say that consistency is not his long
suit. (Laughter.) My opponent looks -- I look at an issue and I take a
principled stand. My opponent looks at an issue and tries to take every
side. (Laughter.) The people of Florida know the difference, and
Tuesday, Florida will vote for strong leadership based upon conviction
and consistency, and support the Bush-Cheney ticket. (Applause.)

This election -- this election comes down to some clear choices on
vital issues facing every American family. The first clear choice
concerns your budget. When I ran for President four years ago, I
pledged to lower taxes for America's families. I kept my word.
(Applause.) We doubled the child credit. We reduced the marriage
penalty. We dropped the lowest bracket to 10 percent so our working
families would have more money in their pocket. The plan is working.
Real after-tax income -- that's the money you've got to spend -- is up
about 10 percent since I took office.

Our economy has been through a lot. When you're out gathering up the
vote, remind people what the economy has been through. Six months prior
to my arrival in Washington, the stock market was in serious decline.
Then we had a recession and corporate scandals, and the attacks on our
country cost us about a million jobs in the three months after the
attack, after September the 11th. But we acted. I led. The tax relief
is now leading our economy forward. It's working. America's economy is
strong and it's getting stronger. (Applause.)

We added 1.9 million jobs in the last 13 months. The home ownership
rate in America is at an all-time high. (Applause.) More minority
families own a home than ever before in our nation's history.
(Applause.) Our farmers are making a living. The entrepreneurial spirit
is strong in America. (Applause.) The national unemployment rate is 5.4
percent. That's lower than the average rate of the 1970s, 1980s, and
1990s. (Applause.) And the unemployment rate in the state of Florida
is 4.5 percent. Our economic plans are working. (Applause.)

My opponent has got a plan.

AUDIENCE: Boo!

THE PRESIDENT: It involves the promises he makes and the money he
intends to take. For the Senator from Massachusetts, he voted to raise
taxes 98 times.

AUDIENCE: Boo!

THE PRESIDENT: That's five times every year he's been in the Senate.
I would call that a predictable pattern, a leading indicator.
(Laughter.) In this campaign he's also pledged to spend $2.2 trillion
new dollars -- that's a lot, that's trillion with a "T." (Laughter.)
That is even -- that's a lot for a senator from Massachusetts. I mean,
it's --(laughter.)

They asked him how he's going to pay for it and he said he's just
going to tax the rich. You've heard that before. By raising the top two
brackets you raise between $600 billion and $800 billion. That's far
short of the $2.2 trillion. That's what we call a tax gap. And guess
who gets to fill the tax gap.

AUDIENCE: We do!

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, you do. We're not going to let him tax you. We're
going to carry Florida and win a victory. (Applause.)

The second clear choice in this election involves the quality of life
for our nation's families. I ran for President to challenge the soft
bigotry of low expectations by reforming our schools. I kept my word.
(Applause.) We passed education reforms to bring high standards to the
classrooms, and reading and math scores are now on the rise. We're
closing an achievement gap for minority students all across America.
And we're not going to go back to the old days of low expectations and
mediocrity. (Applause.)

We'll continue to improve life for our families by making health care
more affordable and available. We'll expand health savings accounts so
small businesses can cover their workers, and more families are able to
save tax-free with health care accounts they manage and call their
own. We'll create association health plans so small businesses can
join together and buy insurance at the same discounts that big
companies can do. (Applause.)

We'll help our families by expanding community health centers and
making sure every eligible child is enrolled in our low-income health
insurance programs. And we will make sure health care is available and
affordable by getting rid of these junk lawsuits that are running the
docs out of practice. (Applause.) For the sake of quality health care,
we need medical liability reform now. (Applause.)

My vision is for better and more affordable health care where
decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by officials in
Washington, D.C. (Applause.)

My opponent has a different approach to these issues. He voted for
education reform, but now he wants to weaken the accountability
standards.

AUDIENCE: Boo!

THE PRESIDENT: And he's proposing a big government health care plan.

AUDIENCE: Boo!

THE PRESIDENT: I heard him in the debates, you probably did, too, when
he said the government didn't have anything to do with it. That's what
he said about his plan. I could barely contain myself. (Laughter.) The
government has got everything to do with it. And the wrong prescription
for American families is to federalize health care in America.
(Applause.)

And when it comes to these lawsuits, my opponent has voted against
medical liability reform not once, but 10 times. And he put a personal
injury trial lawyer on the ticket.

AUDIENCE: Boo!

THE PRESIDENT: He can run, but he cannot hide. (Applause.)

The third clear choice in this election involves your retirement. We
made a solemn commitment to America's seniors on Social Security and
Medicare. When I ran for President four years ago, I promised to keep
that commitment and improve Medicare by adding prescription drug
coverage. I kept my word. (Applause.) Seniors are already getting
discounts on medicine with drug discount cards. Low-income seniors are
getting direct help to pay for prescriptions. And beginning in 2006,
all seniors will be able to get prescription drug coverage under
Medicare. (Applause.)

My opponent has got a record on this issue. He voted against the
Medicare bill that included prescription drug coverage. In this
campaign he's promised to repeal the bill, and then he promised to keep
it. (Laughter.)

AUDIENCE: Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!

THE PRESIDENT: It sounds familiar, doesn't it? (Applause.) He doesn't
change positions only on national security issues. (Laughter.) He also
tries to scare seniors about their Social Security. But he forgets to
mention that he is the one who voted eight times to raise taxes on
Social Security benefits.

AUDIENCE: Boo!

THE PRESIDENT: He can run from that record --

AUDIENCE: -- but he cannot hide!

THE PRESIDENT: I've kept the promise of Social Security for our
seniors. I will always keep the promise of Social Security for our
seniors. But we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren
when it comes to Social Security. We need to worry about whether the
system will be there when they need it. That's why I believe younger
workers ought to take some of their personal payroll taxes and set up a
personal savings account, an account they call their own. (Applause.)

The fourth clear choice --

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT: The fourth choice in this election is on the values
that are so crucial to keeping our families strong. I stand for
marriage and family, which are the foundations of our society.
(Applause.) I stand for a culture of life in which every person matters
and every being counts. (Applause.) I proudly signed the ban on
partial birth abortion. (Applause.) I stand for appointing judges who
know the difference between personal opinion and the strict
interpretation of the law. (Applause.)

On these issues, my opponent and I are miles apart. He voted against
the ban on partial birth abortion. He voted against the Defense of
Marriage Act.

AUDIENCE: Boo!

THE PRESIDENT: He said there would be a litmus test when it came to
appointing judges. There is a mainstream in American politics, and John
Kerry sits on the far left bank. (Laughter and applause.) He can --
(audience interruption) -- yes, he can run from being the most liberal
senator -- (applause) --

AUDIENCE: We want Bush! We want Bush! We want Bush!

THE PRESIDENT: The final choice -- the final choice in this election
is most important of all because it concerns the security of your
family. All progress on every other issue depends on the safety of our
citizens. The most solemn duty of the American President is to protect
the American people. (Applause.) If America shows uncertainty or
weakness during these troubled times, the world will drift toward
tragedy. This is not going to happen on my watch. (Applause.)

Our strategy is clear. We've strengthened protections for the
homeland. We're reforming and strengthening our intelligence
capabilities. We're transforming the army. We will have no draft; the
army will remain an all-volunteer army. (Applause.) We are staying on
the offensive. We're chasing the terrorists around the globe. We will
find them and bring them to justice so we do not have to face them here
at home. (Applause.)

Pakistan was -- we're making progress. Every day, we're making
progress. Afghanistan is now an ally in the war on terror. Pakistan and
Saudi are making raids and arrests. Libya is dismantling its weapons
programs. (Applause.) An army of a free Iraq is fighting for freedom,
and al Qaeda no longer controls Afghanistan. We shut down its camps. We
are systematically destroying the al Qaeda network around the world.
(Applause.) More than three-quarters of al Qaeda have been brought to
justice, and the rest of them know we're on their trail. (Applause.)

My opponent has taken a different approach -- except when he hadn't.
(Laughter.) Here again, consistency has not been his long suit. The
Commander-in-Chief must be consistent in this dangerous world. Senator
Kerry says that we're better off with Saddam Hussein out of power--
except when he says that removing Saddam made us less safe.

AUDIENCE: Boo!

THE PRESIDENT: He said in our second debate that he always believed
Saddam was a threat -- except, a few questions later, when he insisted
Saddam Hussein was not a threat.

AUDIENCE: Boo!

THE PRESIDENT: He says he was right when he voted to authorize the use
of force against Saddam Hussein, but that I was wrong to use force
against Saddam Hussein.

AUDIENCE: Boo!

THE PRESIDENT: The problem with -- the problem with Senator Kerry's
record on national security are deeper than election-year flip-flops.
(Applause.) For 20 years, on the largest national security issues of
our time, he has been consistently wrong. During the Cold War, Senator
Kerry voted against crucial weapons systems and opposed President
Ronald Reagan's policy of peace through strength. History --

AUDIENCE: Boo!

THE PRESIDENT: History has shown that Senator Kerry was wrong and
President Ronald Reagan was right. (Applause.)

When former President Bush assembled an international coalition to
drive Saddam Hussein from Kuwait, Senator Kerry voted against the use
of force.
AUDIENCE: Boo!

THE PRESIDENT: History has shown that Senator Kerry was wrong and
former President Bush was right. (Applause.)

Only a year after the first bombing if the World Trade Center, the
Senator proposed massive cuts in America's intelligence budget, cuts so
extreme that even his fellow Massachusetts colleague, Ted Kennedy,
voted against the cut.

AUDIENCE: Boo!

THE PRESIDENT: History has shown, Senator Kerry was wrong, and let's
be -- let's be -- let's be generous about this, Senator Kennedy was
right. (Laughter.)

Just one year -- just one year ago, I went to the Congress and
proposed $87 billion in funding to support our troops in combat.
(Applause.) The Commander-in-Chief -- the Commander-in-Chief must
support our troops in harm's way. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!

THE PRESIDENT: Prior to the vote, on national TV, Senator Kerry said
it would be irresponsible to vote against the troops.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible). (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: And then he did the irresponsible thing -- he voted
against the troops.

AUDIENCE: Boo!

THE PRESIDENT: And then he entered the flip-flop hall of fame --
(laughter) -- by saying, I actually did vote for the $87 billion right
before I voted against it. (Laughter.) He's given several explanation
since then, but the most revealing -- perhaps the most revealing is
when he said, the whole thing was a complicated matter. There's nothing
complicated about supporting our troops in combat. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!

THE PRESIDENT: The differences on how we'll defend our families are
significant. My opponent said in one of the debates that America must
pass a global test.

AUDIENCE: Boo!

THE PRESIDENT: I'm not making that up. I heard him. So did you. We'll
work with our friends and allies, but I will never, ever turn over
America's national security decisions to leaders of other countries.
(Applause.)

Recently my opponent said September the 11th "didn't change him much
at all." End quote. Well, September the 11th changed me. My eyes are
wide open to the realities of this world. I fully understand my duty to
protect the American people. A few days after the attacks of September
the 11th I stood in the ruins of the Twin Towers. I will never forget
the sights and sounds of that day -- workers in hard hats yelling at me
at the top of their lungs, "Whatever it takes." I remember the man
grabbed me by the arm, he looked me square in the eye, and he said, "Do
not let me down." Ever since that day --(applause.) From that day
forward I've gotten up every morning thinking about how to better
protect our country. I will never relent in defending America, whatever
it takes. (Applause.)

We will use all the assets at our disposal to protect America. We will
wage a relentless, comprehensive campaign to protect you. And one of
the most powerful -- powerful assets we have is freedom. (Applause.) We
believe in the power of liberty to transform societies. Free nations do
not breed resentments and export terror. Free nations become allies in
the war on terror.

Think about what has happened in Afghanistan in a relatively brief
period of time. It wasn't all that long ago that young girls couldn't
go to school, and their mothers were taken into the public square and
whipped because the ideologues of hate, the Taliban, had such a dim
view of the world. Because we acted in our self-interest, because we
upheld the doctrine that said, if you harbor a terrorist, you are
equally as guilty as the terrorist -- (applause) -- millions of people
went to the polls in Afghanistan to vote for their President. The first
voter was a 19-year-old woman. (Applause.)

Iraq is dangerous, but it's moving toward elections. There will be
elections in January. Think about how far that country has come from
the days of torture chambers and mass graves. Freedom is on the march,
and America and the world are better for it. (Applause.) And over the
next four years, we will continue to press hard and ensure that the
gift of freedom finally reaches the men and women of Cuba. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Viva Bush! Viva Bush! Viva Bush!

THE PRESIDENT: We will not rest -- we will not rest. We will keep the
pressure on until the Cuban people enjoy the same freedoms in Havana
they receive here in America. (Applause.) I strongly believe the people
of Cuba should be free from the tyrant. (Applause.) I believe -- I
believe that everybody yearns to be free. Freedom is not America's gift
to the world, freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman
in this world. (Applause.)

My fellow citizens, these are historic times and a lot is at stake in
this election. The future safety and prosperity of America are on the
ballot. Ultimately, this election comes down to who can you trust.

AUDIENCE: You!

THE PRESIDENT: I offer a record of leadership and results in a time of
challenge, and I ask for your vote. (Applause.) If you believe -- if
you believe that taxes should stay low so families can pay the bills
and small businesses can expand and our economy can continue to create
new jobs, I ask you, come stand with me. (Applause.)

If you believe -- if you believe in high standards for our public
schools, and parents and doctors -- patients and doctors should be in
charge of health care, I ask you, come stand with me. (Applause.)

If you believe that this nation must honor the commitments of Medicare
and strengthen Social Security for the next generation, I ask you, come
stand with me. (Applause.)

If you believe that this nation should honor family and marriage and
make a place for the weak and vulnerable, I ask you, come stand with
me. (Applause.)

If you believe America should fight the war on terror with all our
might and lead with unwavering confidence in our ideals, I ask you,
come stand with me. (Applause.)

If you are a Democrat who believes your great party has turned too far
left in this year, I ask you, come stand with me. (Applause.)

If you are a minority citizen and you believe in free enterprise and
good schools and the enduring values of family and faith, if you're
tired of your vote being taken for granted, I ask you, come stand with
me. (Applause.)
If you are a voter who believes that the President of the United
States should say what he means and do what he says and keep his word,
I ask you, come stand with me. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT: When I traveled your state -- when I traveled your
state four years ago, I made this pledge, that if I got elected, I
would uphold the honor and the dignity of the office to which I had
been elected. With your help -- con su apoyo, I will do so for four
more years.